Summer Zippin' Fun

I've seen this place featured on one of the local news stations before and it looks like a ton of fun! It's a little bit further north than Gainesville - but well worth the trip I'm sure. It's obviously not for the little ones, but could be a fun date or activity with the older kiddos.

Click here for more information.

Anna Ruby Falls

I'm trying to pick some places in Georgia we've visited to share with everyone. A couple of years ago, we drove through Helen on our way to a beautiful camp spot some miles north of Helen. It was in October and Oktoberfest was in full swing. Main Street was crawling and there were people everywhere. The town's architecture was quaint and inviting and looked like a fun place to walk around. So, if any of you are interested in Helen, GA, I thought I'd post some other things to do in the area as well.

Anna Ruby Falls is about 4 miles north of Helen. Anna Ruby Falls is a continuous, easy to moderate paved climb with bridged crossings of Smith Creek. Towards the end, there are well-placed observation decks which afford an excellent view of both waterfalls.

Click here or here for more details.

Jaemor Farms

The season for apples and corn mazes is quickly approaching and I know there are a many different farms that have corn mazes. We stopped at Jaemor Farm a couple of years ago on our way home from a camping trip. The apples were FANTASTIC and although we didn't pay for the corn maze, it looked like fun. We did wander around the farm and paid to let Kai ride a pony.

MAIZE QUEST CORNFIELD MAZE AT JAEMOR FARM MARKET

Find your way out of the maze while you expand your knowledge of the Wild West. Guests can bring picnics, try the apple slingshot or pick pumpkins.

Oct. and Nov. hours; Fri.-Sat., 10 a.m.-11 p.m.; Sun., 1-6 p.m.

5340 Cornelia Hwy., Alto. 770-869-3999.

Adults, $8; children 4-7, $7; younger than 3, free.

Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center

Rich discovered this place through his involvement with scouting and I thought I'd pass it along to you. It's a great place to camp, but if you are not a camping lover there are plenty of other activities that you can participate in without having to 'rough it'. Plus, since it is only 50 miles away (I20 East) a day trip is feasible. Camping is free as are most of the activities. The website can provide you with all the details.

Here's a link to the website. Be sure to check out the calendar which gives you pages of activities. This weekend (September 26) is free fishing day and there are a few other activities planned for kids. We're planning on signing up for one of the upcoming night hikes which includes a kids craft, a guided night hike and a live owl show. I'll let you know what we think!

Redbull Soapbox Race

I just saw a commercial about this race and it looked interesting to say the least! The race begins at 1 PM on Saturday, August 29, but the 'pits' open at 11 AM. It looks like most of the festivities will take place at Piedmont Park with the race on 10th street.

Click here for all the details.

Thrasher Park - Norcross, GA

The Nanny also told us about a fun park in Norcross that has recently been re-done and is now state of the art. It's Thrasher Park and is located in downtown Norcross. The City's website doesn't have anything written about it, but I've posted a link to wikimapia which will at least give you an address. We're going to check it out one day this week.

We went to the park today and had a GREAT time. It is on the outskirts of downtown Norcross which is very quaint and downtown Decatur like. The parking lot borders a train track and all play stops when the train blows its whistle. The entire park is brand new and the play equipment has stuff for all ages, including a spiderman web climb. It was only 10 miles from our house and worth the trip!

Thrasher Park

Wild Animal Safari

I've seen a few advertisements for this place lately and thought it looked interesting enough to post. It is located in Pine Mountain, GA, approx 1.5 hours from Atlanta. The entry fee is a little steep, but according to most of the comments well worth it. The website claims they have twice as many animals as the Atlanta Zoo.

If any of you have been or know more, please post away.

Wild Animal Safari

Stone Mountain Park

I know most of you are VERY familiar with Stone Mountain Park, but for those of you who aren't I think it's worth a look! We have a pass to the park as well as all of the attractions and our boys love to spend the day at the park. If you don't have an attraction pass, there are still plenty of things to do (you'll have to pay a parking fee to get in the park which I think is $10).

You can hike up to the top of Stone Mountain, play at the playground, picnic on the lawn, watch the laser show, walk around the village, fish...

You can also buy single event passes or a daily pass at a reduced rate at Kroger.

Kennesaw Mountain

We took the boys on a hike to the top of Kennesaw Mountain a few months ago and really enjoyed it! This weekend is the 145th Battle of Kennesaw Anniversary and there are family-friendly activities planned all weekend. If this weekend doesn't work, its worth the drive another time. The hike up to the top is steep, but do-able. There are old cannons at the top that are interesting as well a museum full of history. The only drawback is the parking (the lot is very small.)

http://www.nps.gov/kemo